Question ID bcb66188

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bcb66188

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angles and are right angles. If
, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bcb66188 Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. If two triangles are similar, then their corresponding angles are congruent. It's given that right triangle 𝐹𝐺𝐻 is
similar to right triangle 𝐽𝐾𝐿 and angle 𝐹 corresponds to angle 𝐽. It follows that angle 𝐹 is congruent to angle 𝐽 and, therefore, the
measure of angle 𝐹 is equal to the measure of angle 𝐽. The sine ratios of angles of equal measure are equal. Since the measure of
308 308
angle 𝐹 is equal to the measure of angle 𝐽, sin𝐹 = sin𝐽. It's given that sin𝐹 = 317
. Therefore, sin𝐽 is317
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of cos𝐽, not the value of sin𝐽.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the reciprocal of the value of sin𝐽, not the value of sin𝐽.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the reciprocal of the value of cos𝐽, not the value of sin𝐽.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 33e29881
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 33e29881

In right triangle , the sum of the measures of angle and angle is degrees. The value of is . What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 33e29881 Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The sine of any acute angle is equal to the cosine of its complement. It’s given that in right triangle 𝑅𝑆𝑇, the
sum of the measures of angle 𝑅 and angle 𝑆 is 90 degrees. Therefore, angle 𝑅 and angle 𝑆 are complementary, and the value of
√15 √15
sin𝑅 is equal to the value of cos𝑆. It's given that the value of sin𝑅 is 4
, so the value of cos𝑆 is also
4
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of tan𝑆.

1
Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of cos𝑆
.

1
Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of tan𝑆
.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 659cb706
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 659cb706

Triangle shown is a right triangle. Which of the following has the same value as ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 659cb706 Answer

Correct Answer:
D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The sine of an angle is equal to the cosine of its complementary angle. In the triangle shown, angle 𝑍 is a right
angle; thus, angles 𝑋 and 𝑌 are complementary angles. Therefore, cos𝑌 has the same value as sin𝑋.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 902dc959
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 902dc959

In the figure above, what is the

value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 902dc959 Answer

Correct Answer:
C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Angle A is an acute angle in a right triangle, so the value of tan(A) is equivalent to the ratio of the length of the

side opposite angle A, 20, to the length of the nonhypotenuse side adjacent to angle A, 21. Therefore, .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of sin(A). Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of cos(A). Choice D is incorrect. This is the
value of tan(B).

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 2bddbc1b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 2bddbc1b

What is the value of in the triangle shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2bddbc1b Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The cosine of an acute angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg adjacent to the
angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the leg adjacent to angle 𝐴 is 41, and the length of the
41
hypotenuse is 42. Therefore, cos𝐴 = .
42

1
Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of cos𝐴
.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 5a7e3b46
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 5a7e3b46

In , is a right angle and the length of is millimeters. If , what is the length, in millimeters, of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5a7e3b46 Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale
¯
Choice B is correct. It's given that in △ 𝐴𝐵𝐶, ∠𝐵 is a right angle. Therefore, △ 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle, and 𝐴𝐶 is the hypotenuse of
3
the triangle. It's also given that cos𝐴 = . Since the cosine of an acute angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length
5
¯ ¯
of the side adjacent to the angle to the length of the hypotenuse, the ratio of the length of 𝐴𝐵 to the length of 𝐴𝐶 is 3 to 5. It follows
¯ ¯
that the length of 𝐴𝐵 can be represented as 3𝑎 and the length of 𝐴𝐶 can be represented as 5𝑎, where 𝑎 is a constant. The
Pythagorean theorem states that the sum of the squares of the length of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the
2 2 2
length of its hypotenuse, so it follows that 𝐴𝐵 + 𝐵𝐶 = 𝐴𝐶 . Substituting 3𝑎 for 𝐴𝐵 and 5𝑎 for 𝐴𝐶 in this equation yields
2 2 2 2 2
3𝑎 + 𝐵𝐶 = 5𝑎 , or 9𝑎2 + 𝐵𝐶 = 25𝑎2 . Subtracting 9𝑎2 from both sides of this equation yields 𝐵𝐶 = 16𝑎2 , or 𝐵𝐶 = 4𝑎. It follows
¯ ¯ ¯
that the ratio of the length of 𝐴𝐵 to the length of 𝐵𝐶 is 3 to 4. Let 𝑥 represent the length, in millimeters, of 𝐴𝐵. It's given that the
¯ ¯ ¯ 𝑥 3
length of 𝐵𝐶 is 136 millimeters. Since the ratio of the length of 𝐴𝐵 to the length of 𝐵𝐶 is 3 to 4, = . Multiplying both sides of
136 4
3 ( 136 ) ¯
this equation by 136 yields 𝑥 = , or 𝑥 = 102. Therefore, the length of 𝐴𝐵 is 102 millimeters.
4

Choice A is incorrect. This is the scale factor by which the 3 to 4 to 5 ratio is multiplied that results in the side lengths of △ 𝐴𝐵𝐶.

¯ ¯
Choice C is incorrect. This is the length of 𝐵𝐶, not the length of 𝐴𝐵.

¯ ¯
Choice D is incorrect. This is the length of 𝐴𝐶, not the length of 𝐴𝐵.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID de550be0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: de550be0

For the triangle shown, which expression represents the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de550be0 Answer

Correct Answer:
A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. For the right triangle shown, the lengths of the legs are 𝑎 units and 6 units, and the length of the hypotenuse is
21 units. The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two legs is equal to
the square of the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, 𝑎2 + 62 = 212 . Subtracting 62 from both sides of this equation yields
𝑎2 = 212 - 62 . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields 𝑎 = ± √212 - 62 . Since 𝑎 is a length, 𝑎 must be positive.
Therefore, 𝑎 = √212 - 62 . Thus, for the triangle shown, √212 - 62 represents the value of 𝑎.

Choice B is incorrect. For the triangle shown, this expression represents the value of 𝑎2 , not 𝑎.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID a71617d3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a71617d3

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: a71617d3 Answer

Correct Answer:
45

Rationale

The correct answer is 45. An isosceles right triangle has a right angle and two legs of equal length. In the triangle shown, one
angle is a right angle and the two legs each have a length of 32. Thus, the given triangle is an isosceles right triangle. In an
isosceles right triangle, the measures of the two non-right angles are 45°. It follows that the value of 𝑥 is 45.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID a5aee181
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a5aee181

The length of a rectangle’s diagonal is , and the length of the rectangle’s shorter side is . What is the length of the
rectangle’s longer side?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a5aee181 Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A rectangle’s diagonal divides a rectangle into two congruent right triangles, where the diagonal is the
hypotenuse of both triangles. It’s given that the length of the diagonal is 5√17 and the length of the rectangle’s shorter side is 5.
Therefore, each of the two right triangles formed by the rectangle’s diagonal has a hypotenuse with length 5√17 , and a shorter leg
with length 5. To calculate the length of the longer leg of each right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem, 𝑎2 + 𝑏2 = 𝑐2 , can be used,
where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are the lengths of the legs and 𝑐 is the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle. Substituting 5 for 𝑎 and 5√17 for 𝑐 in
2 2
the equation 𝑎2 + 𝑏2 = 𝑐2 yields 5 + 𝑏2 = 5√17 , which is equivalent to 25 + 𝑏2 = 2517, or 25 + 𝑏2 = 425. Subtracting 25 from
2
each side of this equation yields 𝑏 = 400. Taking the positive square root of each side of this equation yields 𝑏 = 20. Therefore,
the length of the longer leg of each right triangle formed by the diagonal of the rectangle is 20. It follows that the length of the
rectangle’s longer side is 20.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from dividing the length of the rectangle’s diagonal by the length of the rectangle’s shorter
side, rather than substituting these values into the Pythagorean theorem.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the length of the rectangle’s diagonal as the length of a leg of the right triangle,
rather than the length of the hypotenuse.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the square of the length of the rectangle’s longer side.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID 13d9a1c3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 13d9a1c3

In the right triangle shown above, what

is the length of ?

ID: 13d9a1c3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 4. Triangle PQR has given angle measures of 30° and 90°, so the third angle must be 60° because the
measures of the angles of a triangle sum to 180°. For any special right triangle with angles measuring 30°, 60°, and 90°, the length
of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is 2x, where x is the length of the side opposite the 30° angle. Segment PQ is
opposite the 30° angle. Therefore, 2(PQ) = 8 and PQ = 4.

Question Difficulty:
Medium
Question ID a4c0547f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a4c0547f

In triangle , angle is a right angle and the length of is units. If , what is the perimeter, in units, of
triangle ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a4c0547f Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that angle 𝑍 in triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 is a right angle. Thus, side 𝑌𝑍 is the leg opposite angle 𝑋 and side 𝑋𝑍 is
the leg adjacent to angle 𝑋. The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle
𝑌𝑍 12
to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. It follows that tan𝑋 = . It's given that tan𝑋 = and the length of side 𝑌𝑍 is 24
𝑋𝑍 35
12 𝑌𝑍 12 24
units. Substituting for tan𝑋 and 24 for 𝑌𝑍 in the equation tan𝑋 = yields = . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
35 𝑋𝑍 35 𝑋𝑍
35𝑋𝑍 yields 12𝑋𝑍 = 2435, or 12𝑋𝑍 = 840. Dividing both sides of this equation by 12 yields 𝑋𝑍 = 70. The length 𝑋𝑌 can be
calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that if a right triangle has legs with lengths of 𝑎 and 𝑏 and a hypotenuse
2 2 2
with length 𝑐, then 𝑎2 + 𝑏 = 𝑐2 . Substituting 70 for 𝑎 and 24 for 𝑏 in this equation yields 70 + 24 = 𝑐2 , or 5,476 = 𝑐2 . Taking the
square root of both sides of this equation yields ±74 = 𝑐. Since the length of the hypotenuse must be positive, 74 = 𝑐. Therefore,
the length of 𝑋𝑌 is 74 units. The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of all sides. Thus, 74 + 70 + 24 units, or 168 units,
is the perimeter of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This would be the perimeter, in units, for a right triangle where the length of side 𝑌𝑍 is 12 units, not 24 units.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 85f1892d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 85f1892d

In triangle , angle is a right angle, the measure of angle is , and the length of is units. If the area, in square
units, of triangle can be represented by the expression , where is a constant, what is the value of ?

ID: 85f1892d Answer

Correct Answer:
338

Rationale

The correct answer is 338. The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to
¯
the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. In triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍, it's given that angle 𝑌 is a right angle. Thus, 𝑋𝑌 is the leg opposite of
¯ 𝑋𝑌
angle 𝑍 and 𝑌𝑍 is the leg adjacent to angle 𝑍. It follows that tan𝑍 = . It's also given that the measure of angle 𝑍 is 33° and the
𝑌𝑍
¯ 𝑋𝑌 𝑋𝑌
length of 𝑌𝑍 is 26 units. Substituting 33° for 𝑍 and 26 for 𝑌𝑍 in the equation tan𝑍 = 𝑌𝑍
yields tan33° = 26
. Multiplying each side of
¯
this equation by 26 yields 26tan33° = 𝑋𝑌. Therefore, the length of 𝑋𝑌 is 26tan33°. The area of a triangle is half the product of the
¯ ¯
lengths of its legs. Since the length of 𝑌𝑍 is 26 and the length of 𝑋𝑌 is 26tan33°, it follows that the area of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 is
1
2626tan33° square units, or 338tan33° square units. It's given that the area, in square units, of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 can be represented by
2
the expression 𝑘tan33°, where 𝑘 is a constant. Therefore, 338 is the value of 𝑘.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID bd87bc09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bd87bc09

Triangle above is a right triangle, and .

What is the length of side ?

ID: bd87bc09 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 24. The sine of an acute angle in a right triangle is equal to the ratio of the length of the side opposite the
angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the sine of angle B, or , is equal to the ratio of the length of side

to the length of side . It’s given that the length of side is 26 and that . Therefore, .
Multiplying both sides of this equation by 26 yields .

By the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the lengths of the sides of triangle ABC is as follows: , or

. Subtracting 100 from both sides of yields . Taking the square root of both

sides of yields .

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 58c26db8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 58c26db8

The perimeter of an isosceles right triangle is inches. What is the length, in inches, of the hypotenuse of this triangle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 58c26db8 Answer

Correct Answer:
C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of its sides. Since the given triangle is an isosceles right
triangle, the length of each leg is the same and the length of the hypotenuse is equal to √2 times the length of a leg. Let 𝑥
represent the length, in inches, of a leg of this isosceles right triangle. Therefore, the perimeter, in inches, of the triangle is
𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥√2 , or 2𝑥 + 𝑥√2 , which is equivalent to 𝑥 ( 2 + √2 ) . It's given that the perimeter of this triangle is 18 + 18√2 inches. Thus,
18 + 18√2
𝑥2 + √2 = 18 + 18√2 . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 + √2 yields 𝑥 = . Multiplying the right-hand side of this
2 + √2
2 - √2 36 + 36√2 - 18√2 - 36
equation by 2 - √2
yields 𝑥 = 2
, or 𝑥 = 9√2 . It follows that the length, in inches, of a leg of this isosceles right triangle
is 9√2 . Therefore, the length, in inches, of the hypotenuse of this isosceles right triangle is 9√2 √2 , or 18.

Choice A is incorrect. If this were the length of the hypotenuse, the perimeter would be 9 + 9√2 inches.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the length, in inches, of a leg of this triangle, not the hypotenuse.

Choice D is incorrect. If this were the length of the hypotenuse, the perimeter would be 36 + 18√2 inches.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 52f7b898
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 52f7b898

Right triangle is shown. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 52f7b898 Answer

Correct Answer:
C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the triangle shown, the measure of angle 𝐵 is 30° and angle 𝐶 is a right angle, which means that it has a
measure of 90°. Since the sum of the angles in a triangle is equal to 180°, the measure of angle 𝐴 is equal to 180° - 30 + 90°, or 60°
. In a right triangle whose acute angles have measures 30° and 60°, the lengths of the legs can be represented by the expressions
𝑥, 𝑥√3 , and 2𝑥, where 𝑥 is the length of the leg opposite the angle with measure 30°, 𝑥√3 is the length of the leg opposite the angle
with measure 60°, and 2𝑥 is the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the hypotenuse has a length of 54. It follows that
2𝑥 = 54, or 𝑥 = 27. Therefore, the length of the leg opposite angle 𝐵 is 27 and the length of the leg opposite angle 𝐴 is 27√3 . The
tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg
adjacent to the angle. The length of the leg opposite angle 𝐴 is 27√3 and the length of the leg adjacent to angle 𝐴 is 27. Therefore,
27√3
the value of tan𝐴 is 27
, or √3 .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

 1
Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of tan𝐴
, not the value of tan𝐴.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the length of the leg opposite angle 𝐴, not the value of tan𝐴.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 1429dcdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 1429dcdf

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: 1429dcdf Answer

Correct Answer:
.6956, .6957, 16/23

Rationale
16
The correct answer is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is defined as the ratio of the length of the side opposite the
23
angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the side opposite the angle with measure 𝑥° is 16 units
16
and the length of the hypotenuse is 23 units. Therefore, the value of sin𝑥° is 23 . Note that 16/23, .6956, .6957, 0.695, and 0.696 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 4c95c7d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 4c95c7d4

A graphic designer is creating a logo for a company. The logo is shown in the figure
above. The logo is in the shape of a trapezoid and consists of three congruent
equilateral triangles. If the perimeter of the logo is 20 centimeters, what is the
combined area of the shaded regions, in square centimeters, of the logo?

A.

B.

C.

D. 16

ID: 4c95c7d4 Answer

Correct Answer:
C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the logo is in the shape of a trapezoid that consists of three congruent equilateral triangles, and
that the perimeter of the trapezoid is 20 centimeters (cm). Since the perimeter of the trapezoid is the sum of the lengths of 5 of

the sides of the triangles, the length of each side of an equilateral triangle is . Dividing up one equilateral triangle into
two right triangles yields a pair of congruent 30°-60°-90° triangles. The shorter leg of each right triangle is half the length of the
side of an equilateral triangle, or 2 cm. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, , the height of the equilateral triangle can be

found. Substituting and and solving for b yields cm. The area of one equilateral triangle is

, where and . Therefore, the area of one equilateral triangle is . The shaded area

consists of two such triangles, so its area is .

Alternate approach: The area of a trapezoid can be found by evaluating the expression , where is the length of one
base, is the length of the other base, and h is the height of the trapezoid. Substituting , , and yields the
expression , or , which gives an area of for the trapezoid. Since two-thirds of the

trapezoid is shaded, the area of the shaded region is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the height of the trapezoid. Choice B is incorrect. This is the area of one of the equilateral triangles,
not two. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using a height of 4 for each triangle rather than the height of .

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID a4bd60a3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a4bd60a3

The perimeter of an equilateral triangle is centimeters. The height of this triangle is centimeters, where is a constant.
What is the value of ?

ID: a4bd60a3 Answer

Correct Answer:
104

Rationale

The correct answer is 104. An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length and all three angles
have a measure of 60°. The height of the triangle, 𝑘√3 , is the length of the altitude from one vertex. The altitude divides the
equilateral triangle into two congruent 30-60-90 right triangles, where the altitude is the side across from the 60° angle in each 30-
60-90 right triangle. Since the altitude has a length of 𝑘√3 , it follows from the properties of 30-60-90 right triangles that the side
across from each 30° angle has a length of 𝑘 and each hypotenuse has a length of 2𝑘. In this case, the hypotenuse of each 30-60-
90 right triangle is a side of the equilateral triangle; therefore, each side length of the equilateral triangle is 2𝑘. The perimeter of a
triangle is the sum of the lengths of each side. It's given that the perimeter of the equilateral triangle is 624; therefore,
2𝑘 + 2𝑘 + 2𝑘 = 624, or 6𝑘 = 624. Dividing both sides of this equation by 6 yields 𝑘 = 104.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 498d6795
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 498d6795

In triangle , angle is a right angle. The length of side is and the length of side is . What is the
length of side ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 498d6795 Answer

Correct Answer:
B

Rationale
2
Choice B is correct. The Pythagorean theorem states that for a right triangle, 𝑐2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 , where 𝑐 represents the length of the
hypotenuse and 𝑎 and 𝑏 represent the lengths of the legs. It’s given that in triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶, angle 𝐵 is a right angle. Therefore, triangle
𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle, where the hypotenuse is side 𝐴𝐶 and the legs are sides 𝐴𝐵 and 𝐵𝐶. It’s given that the lengths of sides 𝐴𝐵
2
and 𝐵𝐶 are 10√37 and 24√37 , respectively. Substituting these values for 𝑎 and 𝑏 in the formula 𝑐2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 yields
2 2
𝑐2 = 10√37 + 24√37 , which is equivalent to 𝑐2 = 10037 + 57637, or 𝑐2 = 67637. Taking the square root of both sides of this
equation yields 𝑐 = ± 26√37 . Since 𝑐 represents the length of the hypotenuse, side 𝐴𝐶, 𝑐 must be positive. Therefore, the length of
side 𝐴𝐶 is 26√37 .

2 2
Choice A is incorrect. This is the result of solving the equation 𝑐 = 24√37 - 10√37 , not 𝑐2 = 10√37 + 24√37 .

2 2
Choice C is incorrect. This is the result of solving the equation 𝑐 = 10√37 + 24√37 , not 𝑐2 = 10√37 + 24√37 .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty:
Hard
Question ID 55bb437a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 55bb437a

In the figure above, . If and

, what is the length of ?

ID: 55bb437a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6. Since , and are both similar to 3-4-5 triangles. This means that they are
both similar to the right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5. Since , which is 3 times as long as the hypotenuse of

the 3-4-5 triangle, the similarity ratio of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 3:1. Therefore, the length of (the side opposite to )

is , and the length of (the side adjacent to ) is . It is also given that . Since

and , it follows that , which means that the similarity ratio of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 2:1 ( is the side

adjacent to ). Therefore, the length of , which is the side opposite to , is .

Question Difficulty:
Hard